[Turbanator]

Rear seats have plain seat belts, I suspect it means the seats don't recline fully like first class

Maybe it's included - as per website

The new S-Class also comes with a Chauffeur package, which creates up to 77mm more rear leg room on the front passenger side with electrically extending footrest and has easy adjustable luxury head restrains for driver and passenger. Local Dealer in Chandigarh is getting one tomorrow , I will try to get the facts checked , I think rear seat comfort is USP , they can't take this away

Source :-

http://www.mercedes-benz.co.in/conte...s-benz_announc

[Sahil]

MBIL has been giving some superb alloy wheel designs in recent times. Don't get why they have chosen the most boring ones for the S350CDi

Is there any news of the petrol hybrid version coming in? I heard it's supposed to be launched early next year? This might make more sense in the long run with the way diesel prices are climbing. The petrol engines also seem to age better than diesels in my experience.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Maybe it's included - as per website

The new S-Class also comes with a Chauffeur package, which creates up to 77mm more rear leg room on the front passenger side with electrically extending footrest and has easy adjustable luxury head restrains for driver and passenger. Local Dealer in Chandigarh is getting one tomorrow , I will try to get the facts checked , I think rear seat comfort is USP , they can't take this away

Source :-

http://www.mercedes-benz.co.in/conte...s-benz_announc

Hope what they say is true, it will be great if the S350 range comes with first-class-like recline with "electrically extending footrest" but I have a suspicion they have copy-pasted from S500 press release :-) I guess that feature comes only in 2-seat configuration and not possible in the 3-seater bench.

[avira_tk]

Originally Posted by Sahil

MBIL has been giving some superb alloy wheel designs in recent times. Don't get why they have chosen the most boring ones for the S350CDi

Is there any news of the petrol hybrid version coming in? I heard it's supposed to be launched early next year? This might make more sense in the long run with the way diesel prices are climbing. The petrol engines also seem to age better than diesels in my experience.

The alloy wheel design competes with the Audi Q3 for worst possible design matched with a good vehicle. The old S350 cdi alloy design looks absolutely stunning and now Benz gives its customers who are paying more this atrocity.

I guess the longevity doesn't matter to the target audience, most of them are done with the car in about the years. A petrol hybrid will only come if Lexus makes an entry here, the Germans are happy with the premium they are able to charge for their economical diesels, even at this price range.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by avira_tk

.

I guess the longevity doesn't matter to the target audience, most of them are done with the car in about the years. A petrol hybrid will only come if Lexus makes an entry here, the Germans are happy with the premium they are able to charge for their economical diesels, even at this price range.

Most S-class owners I know buy the car just so they do not have to worry about an upgrade for 5+ years. Hence, I would think long term ownership is a look out for many here. You will find several older corporate honchos buying the flagship Mercedes when it's newly launched model arrives and upgrade only when the next model change happens. Hence there is a strong loyalty to petrol S-classes for some such buyers.

[Turbanator]

it will be great if the S350 range comes with first-class-like recline with "electrically extending footrest

It's indeed present , the only difference with CBU - 500 is the Rear Tables that are missing in CKD . Rest everything including - recline is available and so is the wonderful music system

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

It's indeed present , the only difference with CBU - 500 is the Rear Tables that are missing in CKD . Rest everything including - recline is available and so is the wonderful music system

Are you sure? Does the rear seat have footrest extension? Without footrest, you can't really do much with the extra leg space. Burmester is a great inclusion though, which is surprising because it is usually reserved for top-of-the-line spec.

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

It's indeed present , the only difference with CBU - 500 is the Rear Tables that are missing in CKD . Rest everything including - recline is available and so is the wonderful music system

I guess this is also the first-in-class to offer the foot rest with a 3 seat rear configuration. The competitors offer this feature only with the two seater rear setup.

[Turbanator]

Dealerships have started getting Demo car's , I checked one today , my initial impressions are mixed - Positives :
Road Presence , Built Quality - majestic thuck of doors ( though they do have soft close ) one has to look at the size of door hinges to appreciate the quality - I know there are many other important things but I always look at things which normally are not relevant Burmester sounds exceptionally rich & will please all audiophiliac's & I was listening only regular FM Radio . Front Seats have very decent support & contour . Twin Roofs does add to the overall openness of the interior .

Concerns :
Rear Seat comfort is not exceptional at least in limited time I sat in car , maybe during extended demo , things can be different , compared with 7 series I find Thigh support and height much less than beemer . Central arm rest has no controls due to which it looks ordinary when compared with BMW which has iDrive and other controls .

As per dealership Indian cars including CBU never got the thigh extensions as seen in brochures and was one of feature I was waiting anxiously . Since I have not seen CBU I cannot confirm this but the CKD - Diesel has the same Recline setup as CBU ( as per Dealer ) . There is a dedicated button as you can note from enclosed pictures - Recline mode - which essentially takes the front seat farthest besides fold the Head rest and a small foot rest extends in base. This set up is as good or bad as any Aircraft economy class seat or Shatabdi First AC Chair . There are no Fridge or Tables on CKD version ( Fridge was missing in CBU ) as well . The car I saw had Black interiors which somehow does not look good ( maybe personal opinion ) , I believe beige interiors will come better . At present there is choice of 3 colours in CKD - Silver , White & Black . Silver gets Black interior others Beige as standard at the moment .

[avishar]

Speaking of hybrids BMW is supposed to launch the activehybrid 7 soon,if it hasnt already.

[androdev]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Concerns :
Rear Seat comfort is not exceptional at least in limited time I sat in car , maybe during extended demo , things can be different , compared with 7 series I find Thigh support and height much less than beemer . Central arm rest has no controls due to which it looks ordinary when compared with BMW which has iDrive and other controls .

Blank central arm-rest is better I feel because having a 3rd passenger won't block the features. In general I find Mercedes ergonomics (esp S class) way better. I can write a small book on this :-)

As per dealership Indian cars including CBU never got the thigh extensions as seen in brochures and was one of feature I was waiting anxiously . Since I have not seen CBU I cannot confirm this but the CKD - Diesel has the same Recline setup as CBU ( as per Dealer ) . There is a dedicated button as you can note from enclosed pictures - Recline mode - which essentially takes the front seat farthest besides fold the Head rest and a small foot rest extends in base. This set up is as good or bad as any Aircraft economy class seat or Shatabdi First AC Chair . There are no Fridge or Tables on CKD version ( Fridge was missing in CBU ) as well . The car I saw had Black interiors which somehow does not look good ( maybe personal opinion ) , I believe beige interiors will come better . At present there is choice of 3 colours in CKD - Silver , White & Black . Silver gets Black interior others Beige as standard at the moment .

Hmmm.. thigh support extension would have been terrific. Sad that even S500 doesn't offer this. The good news is that there is no reason to lust for a S500 :-) Not having a fridge frees up lot of boot space, so that's not such a bad thing.

[Turbanator]

Blank central arm-rest is better I feel because having a 3rd passenger won't block the features.

somehow i like controls via idrive better & easier but maybe one get used to this setup as well , 3rd passenger I doubt any one will like to carry except for odd situations .

In general I find Mercedes ergonomics (esp S class) way better

Maybe rear seat of newer one is sitting little lower then old one , I did had a longish test drive of 7 in past which was far better ( we sit much higher ) then my 5 , maybe once you check the new one you can give better views .

the good news is that there is no reason to lust for a S500 :-)

Yes - the price at which you picked was great , there is absolutely no need for an upgrade , if you ask me personally I find rear of old one much masculine

Hope S class sells good pushing BMW guys to price 7 series sensibly . No where in world 7 is Twice the cost of 5 with same engines.

[KING DYSP]

New Mercedes Benz S Class has been reviewed by 'Autocar India'.
Find it here: Link

[PPS]

Price Comparison between the Big 4.

http://www.motorbeam.com/cars/merced...ce-comparison/

[neeld]

According to Motor Beam, Mercedes will be launching the S500 Plug-In Hybrid in India.

It will be powered by 3L V6 engine combined with an Electric motor rated at 100+ hp.



Here's the link for the news:

http://www.motorbeam.com/cars/merced...brid-in-india/

Here's the specifications:



Source:

http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk